1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assembly used for tissue repair procedures. More particularly, there is provided a two-part captured-loop knotless suture anchor assembly that enables the attachment together or repair of biological tissue, such as tendons or ligaments on a bone surface.
2. Description of the Background Art
Soft tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, generally are attached to bone by small collagenous fibers. These connections are strong, but permit the tendons and ligaments to be flexible. When a soft tissue is torn away from the bone and requires repair, a surgeon is often required to repair the detached soft tissue with sutures which are passed through bone tunnels and tied. A number of devices have been developed for securing a ligament or tendon to a bone mass. These devices can be used in place of bone tunneling techniques. These attachment devices are usually inserted through extensive surgical incisions, and, in some circumstances, by arthroscopic surgical techniques. The use of bone tunnels for repair can be difficult and generally require large open incisions. Recently, through endoscopic surgery, where the skilled surgeon looks into a joint cavity with a telescope, there has been a trend to repair soft tissues back to bone through small incisions called portals. Unique knotless suture anchor assemblies, such as depicted by the inventor in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,569,306; 5,658,313; 5,665,112; 5,683,419; 5,709,708 and 5,720,765, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, have shown ways of facilitating this difficult and precise procedure.
A variety of devices are available for attaching objects to bone, such as screws, staples, cement, suture anchors, and sutures alone. These devices have been used to attach soft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, muscles, as well as objects, such as prostheses, to bone. A suture anchor is a device which utilizes small anchors with suture materials usually attached thereto. A device, such as a screw, is inserted into the bone mass and anchored in place. After insertion of the anchor, the suture is passed through the soft tissue and tied into a know to secure the tissue to the bone The process of passing the anchor suture through the soft tissue and tying a knot is time consuming and difficult to undertake in the tight space encountered during endoscopic surgery and sometimes during conventional open surgery.
One example of a suture anchor assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,662, wherein an anchor assembly includes a pre-threaded suture positioned at its posterior. First the anchor is inserted into the bone mass. The attached suture is then passed through the tissue for reattachment. The surgeon is required to tie a knot with the suture to complete the surgical process. Some suture anchors can be passed through the soft tissue first and then into the bone. Most suture anchors need to be inserted into the bone first. Only after this has been accomplished can the sutures be passed through the soft tissue. Alternatives to this procedure include non-suture soft tissue anchor systems. A few of these systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,316 and 4,532,926 can be used arthroscopically but fixation with these devices may not be as secure as that achieved with sutures. Only a few points of fixation are possible with the non-suture type anchor since the device is relatively large. Therefore suture devices are more favorable. This type of non-suture staple device is disadvantageous in that it has been known to crack the bone during deployment, or accidentally transect the object being attached to the bone. In addition, the device itself has been known to crack or break during or after deployment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,037,422; 5,224,946 and 5,236,445 all disclose bone anchor configurations for attaching sutures within openings formed in bones during joint reconstructive surgery and endoscopic surgical procedures. With all these intricate procedures, the suture itself must be inserted through a tissue mass and tied with a surgical knot to repair the soft tissue to bone.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a two-part captured-loop knotless suture anchor assembly which is easy to use and install.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a suture anchor assembly which allows for secure attachment of soft tissue to a bone mass without the use or requirement of tying a knot.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a suture anchor assembly which is compact and allows a surgeon to easily guide the anchor means into the bone mass, or an anchoring sleeve if desired, to enhance the security of the repair.
A primary feature of the present invention is a two-part, suture anchor and catch and loop device; knotless suture anchor assembly which is provided to draw a soft tissue to a bone mass.